Disney Linkspam!
Y YES I LIVE! Sorry for the lack of updates - Banana 1 had finals this week (I wrote an 15 page paper on the Holocaust in an hour and a half, so BEAT THAT, BITCHES) - so to compensate, here’s a massive amount of linkspam.
Disney and More is holding a contest, and the prize is a rare Disneyland Paris “from sketch to reality” book! All you have to do is answer 12 questions related to Disneyland Paris. Deadline’s April 12th, 2008.
The Disney Blog is also holding a contest, and they’re giving away copies of the Platinum Edition of 101 Dalmatians! Just fill out their contest entry form, and the deadline is tonight, 12th March.
Disney Interactive Studios has released Disney Friends for the Nintendo DS to North America. It’s a simulation game that allows children to interact with characters in “The Lion King”, “Finding Nemo”, “Winnie the Pooh” and “Lilo and Stitch”. Apparently you’re supposed to make “long lasting friendships” with these characters by doing nice things such as questing and buying these characters things to keep them happy. DISNEY’S TURNING INTO SANTA. IT’S NOT REAL, CHILDREN!
My Friends Tigger and Pooh as well as the 2 Disc Platinum Edition of 101 Dalmatians (if you didn’t know already). For the latter, one special feature of note is the mangling rendition of “Cruella De Vil” by Disney Channel star Selena Gomez, and the usual “making of” blah blah.
Walt Disney looks for a collaboration to produce “cartoons to Asian tastes”. Dude, I’m Asian, and I can tell you the people who obsessively fangirl anime are decidedly NOT Asian.
Ratatouille (the game) becomes a “Platinum Family Hits” edition. I still don’t get why they want to make these things so special. It’s been barely a year; you don’t have to relegate it to “A CLASSIC GAME EVERYONE NEEDS TO PLAY” status yet!
The newest addition to the Baby Einstein DVD collection is Baby’s First Sounds: Discovery for Little Ears. Apparently you’re supposed to replay the DVD over and over again to your child and “expose [them] to the first sounds of language they will encounter in their daily lives.” Oh gee, I guess instead of just talking as you normally would, you should buy a DVD to teach your baby how!
Okay, that was shorter than I expected.
Soosi Teh Liddle Bloo Coupehy
According to Pixar, Cars was inspired by the style of the old 1952 animated short, Susie The Little Blue Coupe. It’s directed by Clyde Geronimi, who also directed Cinderella, Peter Pan and supervised Sleeping Beauty. Sterling Holloway, AKA Kaa in the Jungle Book, served as narrator for this film.
The short is available in a number of places, should you wish to see it on a TV screen - it’s an Easter Egg on The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad DVD, Herbie - The Love Bug Special Edition DVD, and Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World of Fun Vol.2, which also features a bunch of other shorts.
Alternatively, you can just watch it here. (Quickly, before Disney takes it down!)
Disney’s House of the Future
The Monsanto House of the Future was an attraction unveiled in Disneyland in 1957. It was meant to be a representation of what a home in 1986 would look, feel and act like. The home, built almost entirely of synthetic materials, included such features as an ultrasonic dishwasher, sinks which adjust based on the height of the user, hands-free telephones, a wall-sized television, electric razors and toothbrushes, and intercoms with mini-TV screens. The house, which had plastic walls and seating, was comprised of four wings which included a kitchen, living room, two child rooms (boy and girl) with adjoining shared bathroom, dining room, family room, and master bedroom with attached bathroom. The attraction was open for ten years, closing in 1967 when the house was sawed apart and removed. Later, the area became known as “Alpine Gardens” and a souvenir stand found its home where the futuristic attraction used to live.
What is old has now become new again, however, as Disney has announced that there will be an all-new House of the Future built at Disneyland. It is expected to open in May of this year in the Innoventions pavillion. The new 5,000 square foot attraction will not be a projection of the future as its predecessor was, however. The Innoventions Dream Home will feature up-and-coming technology which we can expect to be incorporated into some homes sometime in the not-so-distant future to help simplify hectic lifestyles. The home will feature lighting and thermostats which adjust automatically when people enter a room; closets that will be able to help coordinate outfits for colors that suit the individual and keep track of which clothes are in the laundry or at the cleaners; and countertops which will be able to identify the groceries set upon them and suggest recipes based on the selection. It will feature software and hardware which aims to make life simpler for the inhabitants so that their focus can be elsewhere.
Unlike the original House of the Future, the Innoventions Dream Home will meet with the fictional family who live in the home. The Elias family (a family name given as homage to the original dreamer, Walter Elias Disney) spend time in their home, sharing the latest in mobile phones, computers, music and gaming with guests as they prepare for a trip to China. This is similar to the Carousel of Progress (which once inhabited the building in which Innoventions currently resides), wherein guests travel through time with a family, learning of the changes in life since the early 20th century. The Innoventions Dream Home takes a very different angle on this however: the Elias family will be real people, portrayed by Disneyland cast members who will interact directly with the guests who visit the home.
The new House of the Future may not be as futuristic and innovative as the original version was, but it seems poised to make a longer stay, as it could be renovated as time goes by to include new technological advances. As previously mentioned, the attraction is poised to open in May of 2008, though no official release date has yet been specified. I personally look forward to seeing these technological advances in action.
Further reading:
- Yesterland: House of the Future
- Disney Going Back to ‘House of the Future’
- Disney’s ‘House of the Future’ Will Have New Edition
Hitler and Snow White
Never did I think I would utter those two in a single sentence and make it grounded in logic. This isn’t news that Disneyfied usually reports (it’s often media-related stuff that we can review in the future), but my fascination with WWII and Disney made this too hard not to pass up.
A museum director recently discovered 4 Disney paintings drawn by Hitler himself hidden in the back of a Hitler watercolour painting. The Norwegian museum director bought that watercolour painting at a German auction for about US$300. The 4 paintings consist of Doc, Bashful, Dopey and Pinocchio. Analysts of the paintings seem to confirm that Hitler was the artist, or at the very least, the paintings originated around 1940.
I’m sure you’re dying to see ‘em.
Disney at the Academy Awards
The 80th Annual Academy Awards commenced last night with its usual amount of glitz and glamour. Disney was represented in eight different categories with ten nominations: Ratatouille for Best Animated Feature Film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for Best Makeup, Ratatouille for Best Music (Score), Enchanted (times three) for Best Music (Song), Ratatouille for Best Sound Editing, Ratatouille for Best Sound Mixing, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for Best Visual Effects, and Ratatouille for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
Ratatouille won for Best Animated Feature Film, something that very likely surprised no one. Otherwise, Disney went unappreciated for its other nominations. Unsurprisingly, Enchanted did not win, despite its three nominations within the same category. What some consider a travesty for Pirates of the Caribbean is that the very beautiful visual effects that were awarded were not for Pirates but instead for The Golden Compass, which had very little else going for it due to some bad studio decisions. This is, apparently, a source of consternation for many Disney-fan bloggers who feel that despite its many nominations (recognitions all on their own), it was under-awarded due to bias or straight-out Disney “hate.” What I have to ask, however, is: What makes the Disney films so much more deserving of these awards than another film which did, in fact, get the award? The cries that the Academy is full of “idiots” and needs to be replaced are not convincing. They aren’t even mature and well-stated enough to be taken seriously.
Disney was recognized ten times for three films in eight categories; not a poor representation. That they did not win except in one category does imply that these films were not the best of the best. Does this make these films less enjoyable? It shouldn’t. Disney frankly does not need the recognition of an award to sell their movies. The brand can do that all on its own. This Disney fan does not think that the academy were out of line in their decisions. So Disney didn’t get the big recognition that everyone was hoping for. So what? Ratatouille got a well-deserved award and Pirates and Enchanted got nods in multiple categories. I am satisfied with this outcome, and those who aren’t ought to learn to swallow their sour grapes.
Walt Disney Treasures - Wave VIII
Disney has announced they’re pulling more never-before-seen material out of their Disney Vault. “Destino”, “Chronological Donald, Volume 4″ and “Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow” will make for Wave 8 of the Disney Treasures Collection.
“Destino” was an unfinished collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali (the melting clocks guy) in 1946. In 2003 Roy E. Disney discovered the unfinished film and proceeded to complete it. The DVD will also contain a full feature-length documentary, plus two featurettes: “The Disney That Almost Was,” an examination of the studio’s unfinished projects; and “Encounters with Walt,” which addresses the surprisingly diverse group of celebrities and artists who were attracted to Walt Disney’s early work.
“Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow” is a compilation of the three episodes of “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh”. This DVD set includes all three of the original TV episodes plus the theatrical version of the film that was released in England.
“Chronological Donald, Volume 4″ is a continuation of Volume 3 (duhh) that details the era between 1951 to 1961. It includes 31 classic shorts starring Donald Duck.
All three sets are hosted by noted film historian, author and critic Leonard Maltin. Each limited edition, individually numbered volume includes an authenticity certificate, exclusive lithograph and comes in a unique, collectible tin. Available in Limited Supply on November 11 2008.
I’m definitely keeping an eye out. I’m a Disney classic freak.
Indiana Jones Trailer!
Here you go! It’s only available on Yahoo!Movies. Everyone’s cracking down rather hard on YouTube. MERRY VALENTIEM THING!
HD480p (36MB), HD480p (91MB), HD1080p (133MB)
The trailer will be shown before The Spiderwick Chronicles, and you know you’re just going in there for the kicks before going into the other theatre watching the movie that you paid for. More stuff’s available at the official site too.
Hanny Manny and Little Einsteins DVDs
A quick post just to say that Hanny Manny - Fixing It Right and Disney’s Little Einsteins - Race for Space are available for preorder and will be released on February 19th.
You can check out the clips posted for Hanny Manny and Little Einsteins.
… That’s all I have to say. I’d say something about the overreaching of the word ‘Little Einsteins’, but… meh. Well, we’ll never review this, since, y’know, it’s for preschoolers and very out of our range, but there you go. (I like The Magic School Bus, myself).
Indiana Jones and his Cracking Knees
Or The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - whatever. Three new photos are up on the official site, and rumours are floating around that a new trailer will be screened on Valentine’s Day (February 14th). Because the very first thing you need on a day of love is to watch a 50 year old man raiding caves for treasure. I’m sure there’s a sexual innuendo hidden in there somewhere.
As with all Lucasarts films, prepare to be swamped with Indiana Jones merchandise come May 22nd, when the film releases, and then watch as people criticize the saturation of merchandising a la The Phantom Menace.
I’ve haven’t followed the Indiana Jones series since I was 8, when my innocent little brain was scarred for life after watching them eat live monkey brains. This Mr. Potato Head figurine caught my attention, though.
He looks like a pimp, dear lord.
TLM on Broadway Linkspam
It’s a bit late to the party, but here are just a couple of reviews about The Little Mermaid on Broadway in the press. Most range from negative to mixed-negative, but if you’re just looking for the positive reviews, you might just want to check out the AP and TIME Magazine. (Also, there are a bunch of potshots at Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, so take their predictions that TLM will fail for what it’s worth).
The UK Telegraph: “The stage version almost sent me screaming from the theatre…”
TIME Magazine: “The trouble, to oversimplify just a bit: I like most Disney shows; the critics hate ‘em.”
The NY Times: (In a word: OUCH).
London Finanical Times: “It is neither a travesty of the 1989 animated Disney feature on which it is based nor a successful re-imagining.”
The Associated Press: “The Little Mermaid” has found its own unique on-stage sea legs.
Variety: “… Figures sound more like Ice Capades refugees than the enchanting inhabitants of a persuasively rendered, magical underwater kingdom…”
Talkin’ Broadway: “What’s missing is any sense of the kind of magic and wonder that the better Disney stage shows trade on… There are no anthropomorphic candlesticks with burning hands or gravity-defying transformations a la Beauty and the Beast…”
Newsday: “… The most amazing part of Disney’s latest musical is its amazing shortage of originality - not to mention magic or cross-generational wit.”
USAToday: “… The new Mermaid is ultimately less than the sum of its impressive parts, offering neither the richly imaginative spectacle of The Lion King nor the old-fashioned vitality and charm of Mary Poppins.”
LA Times: Poor TLM reviews leave 2008 Tony’s race wide open.
